Mike Balado Named New Men's A-State Basketball Coach

Arkansas State University's new men's basketball coach Mike Balado holds a jersey with his name on the back.

Credit Johnathan Reaves, KASU News

Arkansas State University Athletics Director Terry Mohajir introduced the next men’s basketball coach at Arkansas State. Mike Balado spent the last four season as an assistant coach at the University of Louisville.

Balado worked under the tutelage of legendary basketball coach Rick Petino, where the Cardinals went 106-32 overall and wend to the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament. During a press conference at Arkansas State University, Balado stated that he was excited to be in Jonesboro, a place that he is familiar with.

"I this this campus is exceptional and I enjoy the Convocation Center. I think it is an amazing place to play and I can't wait to start rocking the place," said Balado.

During his assistant coaching career, Balado has made numerous appearances in the NCAA basketball tournament. He says the goal is to win Sun Belt Championships and make it to the Big Dance.

"The one word that I want out of my player's mouth is 'championships'. I want that to be the mentality of this team and I don't think we should expect anything less."

Balado tells what his coaching philosophy is when he is dealing with players.

"I tell my players that if you play for the name on the front of the jersey, the name on the back will flourish. You can't play for the name on the back only. We will not have a team of egos. We will be involved in this community and will make you proud," said Bolado.

He says he will be reaching out to meeting with the players when they get back from spring break and will also hire a staff. He will also continue talking with recruits about playing for Arkansas State. His contract is for five years and it is $375,000 a year. He has a $1 million buyout clause in his contract for the first year, $500,000 in the second year, $300,000 in the third year, $200,000 in the fourth year and $100,000 in the final year of his contract.